In the age of excess, music is also another thing that is full of different genres and a person trying to get into new music, it can be a battlefield to distinguish what to listen to first because we all know the bombardment of those typical pop on all the streaming platforms is real. The musical world is like a maze and we are here to help you out to determine the genre you’re looking for and the one that’ll make you feel the electrical charge or those ultimate feels you look for while on the lookout for new songs to explore and expand your horizons and knowledge in music which you can surely show-off to your friends and family.
Country Music
Whenever we hear the mention of country music, the mind wanders to cowboys, Texas, and an acoustic guitar in hand. But, only a few know what this musical genre is really about. Country music is a sub-genre of popular music that originated with blues, church music like the Southern gospel and the spirituals, old-time and American folk music comprising of Appalachian, Cajun, Creole, and the Cowboy Western music style of New Mexico, Red Dirt, Tejano and, Texas County. This genre originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States and was popularised mainly in the 1920s.
The term ‘HillBilly’ was used to refer to this genre of music before the term ‘Country music’ took the center stage in the 1940s. The term came to include western music which was also evolving alongside hillbilly music from similar roots in the mid-1920s. In 2009, country music was the top genre listened to in the evening commute rush hour radio and the second most popular during the morning commute in the United States.
The term country music is now used to describe a variety of subgenres and was founded in the folk music of the working-class Americans and the blue-collar American life.
Reggae Music
Reggae as a musical genre originated in Jamaica in the 1960s. The term is also used to refer to the popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. 1968 single ‘Do the Reggae by the Toots and the Maytals was the first one to successfully use the word Reggae and thus, introducing the word to the global audience. Even though the term is used for all Jamaican popular music, the Reggae is a particular style of music that is strongly influenced by traditional mento and also American jazz, and Rhythm and Blues and evolved from the earlier genres like Ska and rocksteady. Reggae often relates to social commentary like general news, social gossip, and political commentary. Its distinct counterpoint to bass and drum downbeat and being rhythmic offbeat makes this genre of music easily recognizable. Even though reggae originated from ska and rocksteady, it later on incorporated the use of the bass as its percussion instrument.
Reggae is also deeply associated with Rastafari which is an Afrocentric religion that was developed in Jamaica in the early 1930s, mainly aiming to promote pan-Africanism. Soon after the Rastafarian movement appeared, reggae gained more prominence and popularity as a music genre. This also resulted in the global popularity of the Rastafarian movement itself and spread its knowledge into the world. As the Rastafarians see it, the musicians of this particular genre are the messengers of their message and thus become the tools of change.
Reggae has now become a popular genre and has now been incorporated in different countries’ song genres as well creating new sub-genres and also the inclusion of several new instruments has skyrocketed its prominence to a greater audience. In Jamaica, authentic reggae remains one of the biggest sources of income for its population.
Doom Metal
Doom metal is considered an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that is generally known to use slower tempos and low-tuned guitars and a much “thicker” or “heavier” sound than other heavy metal subgenres. A sense of despair, dread, and impending doom are evoked from the music as well as the lyrics of this genre. One of the first influencers of this genre was The Black Sabbath, who contributed to forming a prototype of doom metal. During the first half of the 1980s, several bands like Witchfinder General from England, Pentagram, Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, Trouble, and Cirith Ungol from the Americas, and Candlemass from Sweden defined and made doom metal into the distinct genre as it is known today.
Doom metal as a genre mainly comprises three characteristics; instrumentation, vocals, and lyrical themes. The electric guitar, bass guitar, and drum kit are the most prominent instruments used in this genre, its scales and structure are similar to that of the blues. Guitarists and bassist generally tune their instruments to extremely low tunes and use distortion, which results in the production of the thick and heavy tune which doom metal is known for. Along with the usual metal composition, the guitar and the bass are riffed in unison to produce a loud and bass-heavy wall of sound. Other defining characteristics are slow tempos, minor tonalities, and the creation of dissonance using repetitive rhythms with little regard to harmonic synchronization.
Traditional doom metal vocalists use clean vocals to portray a sense of despair, desperation, and pain in their voices. Some vocalists use operatic voices for their songs while others growl or scream lyrics inspired by other metal genres. Lyrics in doom metal play the most important role of the three. Influenced by prominent RnB lyrics which are depressing and pessimistic; lyrics in doom metal include themes like suffering, depression, fear, death, and anger. Some lyricists give it their retrospective vibe while others use symbolism in art, literature, and the occult.
Do any of these genres strike inspiration? If yes, then don’t forget to check out our live courses and learn everything there is to learn, from music composition to even writing your lyrics.
